Category: Spiritual

Snowmass, Nov.8,2000 Thomas Keating 4th advanced retreat lecture on Justice; and the meaning and goal of life.

The election gives us a chance to discuss a final subject I wanted to talk with you about -- FEELINGS. Would that be okay? (puckishly) There are three extremes.

1. We should never over-identify with our feelings. This is different from repressing or supressing feelings. The inner room is about integrating all our experiences. Never say, "I am angry." Say rather, "I have angry feelings." Even our language reinforces our false-self feelings. People are surprised to learn they can do something about their anger. 2. Another false-self trick is to subjectify feelings, eg, "YOU made me angry." Projecting them on others. People who do this don't have enough respect for their feelings to not project them. 3. The proper disposition and attitude, is the Christ mind, the fruits of the spirit. You observe the fruits in manifesting the transforming process, so we respond with charity, love, joy, meekness, self-control, etc. Don't you observe that things that used to make you angry, now don't seem to disturb you? You are experiencing an inner room freedom to RESPOND rather than REACTING.

SELF-CONTROL is different from "stubborn determination". It is that one's emotional balance helps you not show anger, or project it, or over-identify with it. This would take away peace, the peace that comes with the inner freedom from over-reacting.

In the Gospels, Jesus shows how to handle over-reaction. James & John in response to behavior towards Jesus they did not like, said "Lord, shall we bring down fire from heaven and destroy these people?" Obviously an emotional BINGE. Jesus said, "You don't know what spirit you are." They didn't know the value of their inner room, their discipleship. The ART OF LIVING is to not act out or project. The fruit of the upper room is to gradually ABSORB THE ATTITUDES OF THE MIND OF CHRIST.

A sense of Justice [thwarted] now makes our emotions go off. Sort of a co-dependence. "Respond to my prayers, God, OR ELSE! I won't pray anymore" Like Martha and Mary. Martha accuses Jesus of ENABLING Mary, "This lazy woman", Martha was doing virtuous acts in serving Jesus, her Lord, for the WRONG REASON - self-satisfaction. Martha was annoyed because her goals were self-satisfaction of her immediate needs. Jesus didn't let her get away with it. Martha's issues were ESTEEM. It was frustrated. Lazarus is the 3rd person in this household. He was in the furthest stage of transformation of the three. Jesus extends a challenge to Mary, implicitly, by saying she had the "better" part, not the "best" part. She hadn't yet reached the "best" part, since she hadn't defended or spoken up for herself to Martha with inner freedom. She has a way to go yet.

FAIR PLAY AND JUSTICE IS NOT, AS SOME PEOPLE THINK, GOD'S MIDDLE NAME. Jesus spoke in parables because people were not yet ready to HEAR confrontation. Martha had anxiety - fretting and fussing - because she thought she was operating out of one motivation - to serve God - but she was really operating out of a false-self motive. This produces anxiety. The Spirit doesn't reprimand or hold out punishment. The Spirit RECOMMENDS. [ think of it as a suggestion from the Spirit ]

Jesus' parable of the hired men at the vinyard, where those who worked all day were disappointed they didn't get more than the ones who only put in a little time at the end of the day, made the householder look unjust. They were angry. He replied, "Didn't you get what we agreed on?' The Kingdom is governed by MERCY not JUSTICE.

This parable is set up to challenge people in their belief about rewards and promises. God is full of surprises, many of which are given without merit. Thomas recalls praying on his knees while the other fellow was seated. And, he seemed to get the same benefit. "I had feelings of Jealousy and Envy" Our false self needs are hidden. The Divine Spirit must stay up all night to bring just the right thing to touch you where you need. It's not people who are upsetting us, (cont.)

(note 2) Nov.8, 2000 Snowmass

It's not people who are upsetting us, it's GOD WHO HAS SET UP THE SITUATION. It's our deep problems he is working in these daily situations. The problems in daily ordinary life are probably even worse than in the monastery. Money, divorce, elections. Maybe God is causing this election situation (Gore-Bush deadlock) JUST FOR YOU. To liberate you. Sometimes he turns the world upside down., JUST FOR YOU!

Q. Social justice?

A.Yes, but be careful that our motivation is refined by God, and pure in what we feel and do. The idea is to function from a place of inner freedom, not be driven by our hidden emotions.

Q. Lazarus?

A. I refer you to "The Better Part."Lazarus experienced a "peri-natal event". The historical fact may have also been quite true, but it is a paradigm of the spiritual journey.

Q. The Dark Nights of Sense and Spirit, and the spiral staircase down and up, do we go through these more than once?

A. It goes on and on. And a third night, I call "The Night of Self". Here it moves to relativizing our sense of identity, beyond even the cross and resurrection into UNITY, the very bosom of the Father. The whole vast panorama, past self-identity, beyond discovering who we really are, dis-identifying with who we are and becoming who God has made us to be.

It will consume all that which keeps us from God. This is our RETURN to the mysterious participation in the divine. Other religions call this Nirvana, or No-Self, although they are not exactly the same. All humanity has the desire to become co-creators with God. Not "God-like", but functionaing as God would have us.

We will pass through many deaths on the way, on our spiritual journey, and rise to much JOY. Not the joy of elation, but JOY.

Q. Can we go through this 3rd step while we stay in our ordinary, routine daily life?

A. Yes - for a while, maybe. Also, we don't stay in this state of Unity for very long. Maybe a minute or two. However, the reservoir of persons, contemplatives, who are available now for higher states of consciousness is increasing. In general, we aren't evolved enough as a race yet. We think too LOW of GOD'S DIVINE LARGESSE. Who knows, as we descend towards unity, what "JUNK" we need to shed from the collective unconscious of our ancestors? We may be participating in Christ's descent and final redemption.

Only free beings are capable of entering into divine union. And, free beings are capable of the most EXTREME EVIL. Who knows what God is leading us to? Remember, God never complained about Job's complaints. Perhaps when we arrive where God is leading us, we will forgive us (sic.)

The reality we are talking about is beyond conversation and conceptual language. These are just a few pointers. Silence is best.

Science can now measure down to 1 trillionth of a second - just after the big bang. But the Quanta, wave and particle, string theory, etc. are showing our conceptual limits. But reality is so simple, so infinitesmal, universe within universe, the large in the small, and we have no instrument to observe it. GOD IS SO PRESENT WE CAN'T SEE IT. Thus, "When you pray, pray in secret so your Father who is in secret will reward you." We become secret from ourselves by LETTING GO OF SELF-REFLECTION; our self-identity becomes secret to us.

Don't judge God., and we will find out who God is and who we are.

Dis-identify with your PARTICULAR self so you can know what it is like to be EVERYone and EVERYthing. Even PRAYER is a movement AWAY from the reality of this INTIMACY WITH GOD.


	Snowmass, Nov.8,2000 Thomas Keating 4th advanced retreat lecture on Justice; and the meaning and goal of life. The election gives us a chance to discuss a final subject I wanted to talk with you about -- FEELINGS. Would that be okay? (puckishly) There are three extremes. 1. We should never over-identify with our feelings. This is different from repressing or supressing feelings. The inner room is about integrating all our experiences. Never say, "I am angry." Say rather, "I have angry feelings." Even our language reinforces our false-self feelings. People are surprised to learn they can do something about their anger. 2. Another false-self trick is to subjectify feelings, eg, "YOU made me angry." Projecting them on others. People who do this don't have enough respect for their feelings to not project them. 3. The proper disposition and attitude, is the Christ mind, the fruits of the spirit. You observe the fruits in manifesting the transforming process, so we respond with charity, love, joy, meekness, self-control, etc. Don't you observe that things that used to make you angry, now don't seem to disturb you? You are experiencing an inner room freedom to RESPOND rather than REACTING. SELF-CONTROL is different from "stubborn determination". It is that one's emotional balance helps you not show anger, or project it, or over-identify with it. This would take away peace, the peace that comes with the inner freedom from over-reacting. In the Gospels, Jesus shows how to handle over-reaction. James & John in response to behavior towards Jesus they did not like, said "Lord, shall we bring down fire from heaven and destroy these people?" Obviously an emotional BINGE. Jesus said, "You don't know what spirit you are." They didn't know the value of their inner room, their discipleship. The ART OF LIVING is to not act out or project. The fruit of the upper room is to gradually ABSORB THE ATTITUDES OF THE MIND OF CHRIST. A sense of Justice [thwarted] now makes our emotions go off. Sort of a co-dependence. "Respond to my prayers, God, OR ELSE! I won't pray anymore" Like Martha and Mary. Martha accuses Jesus of ENABLING Mary, "This lazy woman", Martha was doing virtuous acts in serving Jesus, her Lord, for the WRONG REASON - self-satisfaction. Martha was annoyed because her goals were self-satisfaction of her immediate needs. Jesus didn't let her get away with it. Martha's issues were ESTEEM. It was frustrated. Lazarus is the 3rd person in this household. He was in the furthest stage of transformation of the three. Jesus extends a challenge to Mary, implicitly, by saying she had the "better" part, not the "best" part. She hadn't yet reached the "best" part, since she hadn't defended or spoken up for herself to Martha with inner freedom. She has a way to go yet. FAIR PLAY AND JUSTICE IS NOT, AS SOME PEOPLE THINK, GOD'S MIDDLE NAME. Jesus spoke in parables because people were not yet ready to HEAR confrontation. Martha had anxiety - fretting and fussing - because she thought she was operating out of one motivation - to serve God - but she was really operating out of a false-self motive. This produces anxiety. The Spirit doesn't reprimand or hold out punishment. The Spirit RECOMMENDS. [ think of it as a suggestion from the Spirit ] Jesus' parable of the hired men at the vinyard, where those who worked all day were disappointed they didn't get more than the ones who only put in a little time at the end of the day, made the householder look unjust. They were angry. He replied, "Didn't you get what we agreed on?' The Kingdom is governed by MERCY not JUSTICE. This parable is set up to challenge people in their belief about rewards and promises. God is full of surprises, many of which are given without merit. Thomas recalls praying on his knees while the other fellow was seated. And, he seemed to get the same benefit. "I had feelings of Jealousy and Envy" Our false self needs are hidden. The Divine Spirit must stay up all night to bring just the right thing to touch you where you need. It's not people who are upsetting us, (cont.) (note 2) Nov.8, 2000 Snowmass It's not people who are upsetting us, it's GOD WHO HAS SET UP THE SITUATION. It's our deep problems he is working in these daily situations. The problems in daily ordinary life are probably even worse than in the monastery. Money, divorce, elections. Maybe God is causing this election situation (Gore-Bush deadlock) JUST FOR YOU. To liberate you. Sometimes he turns the world upside down., JUST FOR YOU! Q. Social justice? A.Yes, but be careful that our motivation is refined by God, and pure in what we feel and do. The idea is to function from a place of inner freedom, not be driven by our hidden emotions. Q. Lazarus? A. I refer you to "The Better Part."Lazarus experienced a "peri-natal event". The historical fact may have also been quite true, but it is a paradigm of the spiritual journey. Q. The Dark Nights of Sense and Spirit, and the spiral staircase down and up, do we go through these more than once? A. It goes on and on. And a third night, I call "The Night of Self". Here it moves to relativizing our sense of identity, beyond even the cross and resurrection into UNITY, the very bosom of the Father. The whole vast panorama, past self-identity, beyond discovering who we really are, dis-identifying with who we are and becoming who God has made us to be. It will consume all that which keeps us from God. This is our RETURN to the mysterious participation in the divine. Other religions call this Nirvana, or No-Self, although they are not exactly the same. All humanity has the desire to become co-creators with God. Not "God-like", but functionaing as God would have us. We will pass through many deaths on the way, on our spiritual journey, and rise to much JOY. Not the joy of elation, but JOY. Q. Can we go through this 3rd step while we stay in our ordinary, routine daily life? A. Yes - for a while, maybe. Also, we don't stay in this state of Unity for very long. Maybe a minute or two. However, the reservoir of persons, contemplatives, who are available now for higher states of consciousness is increasing. In general, we aren't evolved enough as a race yet. We think too LOW of GOD'S DIVINE LARGESSE. Who knows, as we descend towards unity, what "JUNK" we need to shed from the collective unconscious of our ancestors? We may be participating in Christ's descent and final redemption. Only free beings are capable of entering into divine union. And, free beings are capable of the most EXTREME EVIL. Who knows what God is leading us to? Remember, God never complained about Job's complaints. Perhaps when we arrive where God is leading us, we will forgive us (sic.) The reality we are talking about is beyond conversation and conceptual language. These are just a few pointers. Silence is best. Science can now measure down to 1 trillionth of a second - just after the big bang. But the Quanta, wave and particle, string theory, etc. are showing our conceptual limits. But reality is so simple, so infinitesmal, universe within universe, the large in the small, and we have no instrument to observe it. GOD IS SO PRESENT WE CAN'T SEE IT. Thus, "When you pray, pray in secret so your Father who is in secret will reward you." We become secret from ourselves by LETTING GO OF SELF-REFLECTION; our self-identity becomes secret to us. Don't judge God., and we will find out who God is and who we are. Dis-identify with your PARTICULAR self so you can know what it is like to be EVERYone and EVERYthing. Even PRAYER is a movement AWAY from the reality of this INTIMACY WITH GOD.
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